SAEDNEWS: Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese revolutionary imprisoned in France since 1984 for targeting Israeli and American agents, has returned to Beirut following his long-overdue release, sparking celebrations across Lebanon and Palestine.
Abdallah, a pro-Palestinian Lebanese resistance fighter, landed in Beirut early Friday after over 40 years in a French prison.
He was freed on the condition that he never return to France, ending what is widely condemned as one of the West’s most politically motivated detentions.
Dozens of supporters, waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags, gathered near the airport as chants of resistance and liberation echoed.
Abdallah was embraced in the VIP lounge by family and comrades, hailed as a national hero who never bowed to Zionist or Western pressure.
AFP reported that cheers erupted as Abdallah appeared, with many saluting him as a living symbol of steadfast struggle.
Shortly before 3:40am local time, a convoy of vehicles with flashing lights departed Lannemezan prison in southern France.
A source confirmed the 74-year-old boarded a flight to Lebanon shortly after.
Abdallah was convicted in 1987 for involvement in the 1982 operations targeting US military attaché Charles Ray and Israeli agent Yacov Barsimantov in Paris.
He has been eligible for release since the 1990s, but Washington and Tel Aviv continually blocked his freedom.
Last month, a Paris appeals court approved his release on condition of immediate expulsion.
His lawyer Jean-Louis Chalanset said Abdallah was “very happy” despite returning to a region “under intense Israeli aggression.”
Founder of the Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions, Abdallah never apologized and affirmed his identity as a fighter for Palestine, not a criminal.
French police had claimed to find weapons in his apartment at the time of arrest, but Abdallah’s unwavering stance in court made him a symbol of defiance.
The court noted his irreproachable conduct in prison and acknowledged that his continued incarceration was “disproportionate.”
He outlasted the typical French life sentence of 30 years, with supporters accusing France of caving to Zionist and US demands.
His family welcomed him at Beirut Airport and will accompany him to Kobayat in northern Lebanon, where a public reception awaits.
